Method and apparatus for inter-pharmacy workload balancing using resource function assignments

ABSTRACT

The system distributes workload amongst a plurality of pharmacy resources that are connected by a computer network. Work orders are queued at each pharmacy resource and redistributed based on existing workload distribution, capacity of pharmacy resources, and/or product demand.

This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/253,096, filedOct. 18, 2005, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to workload balancing forpharmacy resources connected by a computer network.

BACKGROUND

Existing pharmacy networks performing order processing may suffer frominefficient distribution of workload. Many factors may contribute tothis inefficient distribution. For example, a first location may receivea greater amount of order volume than a second location, equipment at afirst facility may be more efficient than in a second facility, oremployees at a first location may be more efficient (e.g., betterskilled) than in a second retail location. While these pharmacy networksmay benefit from redistributing workload, existing pharmacy informationsystems do not provide this functionality.

Certain retail industries, such as pharmacies, process discrete productorders on the premises of a retail store. Processing of the order may beseparated into information processing of the order and physicalprocessing of the order. Because information processing of the order maynot need to be performed completely by a single resource and/or at aparticular location, the information processing portion of the orderfulfillment process may be sent to another resource for execution, e.g.,another retail store. This redistribution of work may be especiallyuseful in a franchise retail store network where a corporate entity mayhave the power to manage distribution and completion of work within thenetwork. However, a distribution system and method may be required toobtain such a workload distribution objective.

SUMMARY

The method and system claimed in the present application provide aprocess for distributing workload amongst a plurality of pharmacyresources that are connected by a computer network. While the specificmethod and system will be described to apply to a pharmacy retailnetwork embodiment, it is emphasized that this process may be applied toother retail industries as well.

One embodiment involves queuing pharmacy prescription orders at eachpharmacy resource. Metrics may be taken by a client or a servercomputer, or may even be taken manually, to determine the workload foreach pharmacy resource in the network. A distribution of the currentworkload may be generated to assist in determining which resources maybe overworked and which resources may be under worked. This distributioninformation may be used to determine a more efficient target workloaddistribution. The target workload distribution may be implemented byrerouting workload between pharmacy resources in the network. In oneembodiment, this may be performed by designating pharmacies as sendersor receivers and routing work orders from sender queues to receiverqueues.

In another embodiment, workload may be redistributed based on a demandfor a drug type and/or a capacity of a pharmacy resource to processorders for that drug type. In this embodiment a pharmacy resource may beassigned or designated a specific order process function to perform andwork orders may be routed to the pharmacy resource for processing aportion of work related to the function. For example, a pharmacyresource may be designated a receiver for prescription orders having acertain drug type. Consequently, work orders for the drug type may bererouted to the pharmacy resource for at least a portion of the orderprocessing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a data network that may operate inaccordance with a described embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the network computer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a pharmacy computer system;

FIG. 4 illustrates a pharmacy network embodiment;

FIGS. 5 a and 5 b illustrate possible pharmacy information processingflows;

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a pharmacy network designationsystem;

FIG. 7 illustrates a workload distribution graph that may be used toanalyze an existing workload distribution;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart of the workload distribution process;

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment that uses a central repository queue;

FIG. 10 illustrates a resource assignment process;

FIG. 11 illustrates a resource assignment system;

FIG. 12 illustrates a resource assignment table; and

FIG. 13 illustrates a distributed processing environment for a pharmacynetwork.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the following text sets forth a detailed description ofnumerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legalscope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims set forthat the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construedas exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment sincedescribing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if notimpossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, usingeither current technology or technology developed after the filing dateof this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims.

It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined inthis patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘______’ ishereby defined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, there is no intentto limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication,beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not beinterpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in anysection of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To theextent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent isreferred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning,that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader,and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, by implicationor otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, unless a claim element isdefined by reciting the word “means” and a function without the recitalof any structure, it is not intended that the scope of any claim elementbe interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixthparagraph.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a data network 10 including a firstgroup of pharmacies 20 operatively coupled to a network computer 30 viaa network 32. The plurality of pharmacies 20 may be located, by way ofexample rather than limitation, in separate geographic locations fromeach other, in different areas of the same city, or in different states.The network 32 may be provided using a wide variety of techniques wellknown to those skilled in the art for the transfer of electronic data.For example, the network 32 may comprise dedicated access lines, plainordinary telephone lines, satellite links, combinations of these, etc.Additionally, the network 32 may include a plurality of networkcomputers or server computers (not shown), each of which may beoperatively interconnected in a known manner. Where the network 32comprises the Internet, data communication may take place over thenetwork 32 via an Internet communication protocol.

The network computer 30 may be a server computer of the type commonlyemployed in networking solutions. The network computer 30 may be used toaccumulate, analyze, and download pharmacy data. For example, thenetwork computer 30 may periodically receive data from each of thepharmacies 20 indicative of information pertaining to a prescriptionorder, billing information, employee data, etc. The pharmacies 20 mayinclude one or more facility servers 36 that may be utilized to storeinformation for a plurality of customers/employees/accounts/etc.associated with each facility.

Although the data network 10 is shown to include one network computer 30and three pharmacies 20, it should be understood that different numbersof computers and pharmacies may be utilized. For example, the network 32may include a plurality of network computers 30 and dozens of pharmacies20, all of which may be interconnected via the network 32. According tothe disclosed example, this configuration may provide severaladvantages, such as, for example, enabling near real time uploads anddownloads of information as well as periodic uploads and downloads ofinformation. This provides for a primary backup of all the informationgenerated in the process of updating and accumulating pharmacy data.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of one possible embodiment of the networkcomputer 30 shown in FIG. 1. The network computer 30 may have acontroller 50 that is operatively connected to a database 52 via a link56. It should be noted that, while not shown, additional databases maybe linked to the controller 50 in a known manner.

The controller 50 may include a program memory 60, a microcontroller ora microprocessor (MP) 62, a random-access memory (RAM) 64, and aninput/output (I/O) circuit 66, all of which may be interconnected via anaddress/data bus 70. It should be appreciated that although only onemicroprocessor 62 is shown, the controller 50 may include multiplemicroprocessors 62. Similarly, the memory of the controller 50 mayinclude multiple RAIVIs 64 and multiple program memories 60. Althoughthe I/O circuit 66 is shown as a single block, it should be appreciatedthat the I/O circuit 66 may include a number of different types of I/Ocircuits. The RAM(s) 64 and programs memories 60 may be implemented assemiconductor memories, magnetically readable memories, and/or opticallyreadable memories, for example. The controller 50 may also beoperatively connected to the network 32 via a link 72.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one possible embodiment of severalcomponents located in one or more of the pharmacies 20 from FIG. 1.Although the following description addresses the design of thepharmacies 20, it should be understood that the design of one or more ofthe pharmacies 20 may be different than the design of other pharmacies20. Also, each pharmacy 20 may have various different structures andmethods of operation. It should also be understood that the embodimentshown in FIG. 3 illustrates some of the components and data connectionspresent in a pharmacy, however it does not illustrate all of the dataconnections present in a typical pharmacy. For exemplary purposes, onedesign of a pharmacy is described below, but it should be understoodthat numerous other designs may be utilized.

The pharmacies 20 may have a facility server 36, which includes acontroller 80, wherein the facility server 36 is operatively connectedto a plurality of client device terminals 82 via a network 84. Thenetwork 84 may be a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN),or any other type of network readily known to those persons skilled inthe art. The client device terminals 82 may also be operativelyconnected to the network computer 30 from FIG. 1 via the network 32.

Similar to the controller 50 from FIG. 2, the controller 80 may includea program memory 86, a microcontroller or a microprocessor (MP) 88, arandom-access memory (RAM) 90, and an input/output (I/O) circuit 92, allof which may be interconnected via an address/data bus 94. As discussedwith reference to the controller 50, it should be appreciated thatalthough only one microprocessor 88 is shown, the controller 80 mayinclude multiple microprocessors 88. Similarly, the memory of thecontroller 80 may include multiple RAIVIs 90 and multiple programsmemories 86. Although the I/O circuit 92 is shown as a single block, theI/O circuit 92 may include a number of different types of I/O circuits.The RAM(s) 90 and programs memories 86 may also be implemented assemiconductor memories, magnetically readable memories, and/or opticallyreadable memories, for example.

The client device terminals 82 may include a display 96, a controller97, a keyboard 98 as well as a variety of other input/output devices(not shown) such as a scanner, printer, mouse, touch screen, track pad,track ball, isopoint, voice recognition system, etc. Each client deviceterminal 82 may be signed onto and occupied by a pharmacy employee toassist them in performing their duties. Pharmacy employees may sign ontoa client device terminal 82 using any generically available technique,such as entering a user name and password. If a pharmacy employee isrequired to sign onto a client device terminal 82, this information maybe passed via the link 84 to the facility server 36, so that thecontroller 80 will be able to identify which pharmacy employees aresigned onto the system and which client device terminals 82 theemployees are signed onto. This may be useful in monitoring the pharmacyemployees' productivity.

Typically, facility servers 36 store a plurality of files, programs, andother data for use by the client device terminals 82 and the networkcomputer 30. One facility server 36 may handle requests for data from alarge number of client device terminals 82. Accordingly, each facilityserver 36 may typically comprise a high end computer with a largestorage capacity, one or more fast microprocessors, and one or more highspeed network connections. Conversely, relative to a typical facilityserver 36, each client device terminal 82 may typically include lessstorage capacity, a single microprocessor, and a single networkconnection.

FIG. 4 illustrates a pharmacy network 400 comprising a network computer403, or network node, at each pharmacy location 410, 420, 430. Thisnetwork computer may be connected to a scanner 404 and may have aconnection link 412 to other pharmacy computers via a network 450. Anemployee 402 may receive a physical prescription order 401 from acustomer at a particular pharmacy location 410 and input theprescription order 401 into the network computer 403 for that location.The employee 402 may scan the prescription as well as associateddocuments into the computer in addition to manually enteringprescription information. The network computer 403 may have a set ofprocessed prescriptions stored in a queue 405. The employee 402 maycontinue entering prescriptions into the queue 405 as they are received.

The prescriptions that have finished information processing are readyfor physical processing to fill the prescription. The physical processof filing the prescription at the retail location may begin with theprinting of a prescription label 411 from the queue 405. The schedulingand printing may be automated, and may be in accordance with the processdescribed in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/253,252 entitled, “System ForSeparating And Distributing Pharmacy Order Processing,” taking intoaccount desired delivery times, customer waiting requirements, etc.Based on the label 411, and/or instruction set, a pharmacist 406 mayphysically prepare the drug by mixing compounds 407 to produce a finalprescription drug, receive pre-processed compounds and formulations, orotherwise obtain the materials necessary to fill the prescription 408based on the label. The queue 405 may be operated as a first in, firstout (FIFO) stack process, where newly entered orders are placed on topof the queue while orders are pulled from the bottom of the queue forfilling.

In a pharmacy embodiment, work for each prescription order may bedivided between physical preparation of a prescribed drug and theprocessing of prescription information required to prepare the drug. Forexample, referring to FIG. 4, physical preparation involves performingvarious tasks generally illustrated by 406, 407, and 408. Informationprocessing is captured by 401-405. The information processing may befurther divided as illustrated in FIG. 5 a. FIG. 5 a illustrates apossible segmentation and processing of information. The informationprocessing of a prescription may include, but is not limited to,inputting prescription data 500, authenticating a prescription 501,validating customer information 502, validating third-party providerinformation 503, collecting payment information 504, referencing druginformation 505, determining out-of-stock status of materials 506, andentering accounting information into an accounting database 507.

The information processing portion of work may be performed by multiplepharmacy resources, e.g., pharmacy employees, at different locations.Therefore, an embodiment may distribute this work portion amongst anumber of pharmacy resources to improve overall network processingefficiency. While FIG. 5 a illustrates that these processing blocks maybe performed serially, these steps may be performed in parallel asillustrated in FIG. 5 b. FIG. 5 b illustrates that after any one of thework portions are performed, the work for that order may be routed 510to another resource or location for further processing, e.g., forfinishing another portion of the work.

Referring again to FIG. 4, a portion or all of the informationprocessing associated with a prescription may be routed to a differentpharmacy resource, such as store locations 420 or 430, than the location410 in which the prescription is first entered. Once the informationprocessing is completed, the instructions may be sent to anotherresource or location for label printing and physical preparation,including the originating store. Alternatively, the informationprocessing resource may complete the prescription by physicallypreparing and delivering the drug at that location. Alternatively,delivery may occur, for example, from a mail service facility or homedelivery facility of the pharmacy network. Delivery may be completed ata different store, when the customer chooses to pick up the order fromanother store.

The process of distributing information processing for a network ofpharmacies will now be described. The workload for each pharmacy may bedetermined in a number of ways. Generally, workload may be determined bydetermining the amount of work performed in a given amount of time.Because one of the described embodiments is concerned with pharmacyrelated work and pharmacy efficiency, a workload calculation that uses apharmacy related work factor and pharmacy efficiency factor is useful.Pharmacy workload may be determined as the ratio of the number ofprescriptions filled to the total number of man hours for a given store:

${Pharmacy\_ Workload} = \frac{{Number\_ of}{\_ prescriptions}}{{Total\_ man}{\_ hours}}$

Man hours may be calculated as a unit of one hour's work performed by anaverage pharmacy employee, which may be adjusted or weighted based onthe type of employee, e.g., a pharmacist, a pharmacy technician, clerks,etc.

The prescription volume may be manually tabulated, or determined by acomputer. For example, the network computer may simply sum the number ofprescriptions filled for each day and use this number. The computer maycalculate the average number of prescriptions being fulfilled over ashorter or longer time period as desired. If a manual collection systemis implemented, a reasonable amount of time for collecting workload datamay be a 1-2 week period. For automated systems, the collection time maybe made arbitrarily small, e.g., on the order of hours, minutes,seconds, etc.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the workload for each pharmacy may becalculated and collected by at least one network computer, e.g., 600,610, 620, 630, 640. The network computer that collects the workload datamay be a network computer at a particular retail store (e.g., 610, 620,630, 640) and/or a network computer, e.g., 600, at an analysis centerthat does not perform prescription processing. Among other factors, theprescription count used in the workload calculation may consist of atotal number of filled prescriptions in a given amount of time, anaverage number of prescriptions being processed at a given time, or anaverage number of prescriptions waiting in a queue for a given amount oftime.

Once the workload information from the pharmacies is collected, acurrent workload distribution 601 of a network of pharmacies may then bedetermined and a redistribution strategy may be analyzed. The analysismay be facilitated by using a distribution graph as illustrated in FIG.7. Based on the distribution, workload may be redistributed from highworkload stores to low workload stores. This may be done to achieve atarget workload distribution. For example, in situations where themedian distribution is below a certain prescription/man-hour rate, workmay be redistributed in order to move the median higher in order toachieve a target average workload. In order to accomplish this, certainpharmacy resources may be identified and designated as receivers orsenders. A pharmacy resource may include, for example, employees,equipment, technology, etc. While one embodiment may consider a singlestore location as a pharmacy resource, in which case the set ofresources associated with the store may be considered the pharmacyresource, a pharmacy resource may include pharmacists not necessarilyassociated with a particular store location, for example, remotepharmacists that work from home. Factors that may be considered indetermining a target workload distribution include overhead costs of apharmacy location, labor costs, taxes, and efficiency factors.

In one embodiment, stores in which workload needs to be redistributedfrom may be designated as sender stores/resources, while stores in whichworkload needs to be redistributed to may be designated as receiverstores/resources. Sender stores may be stores in which the workload ishigher than a given threshold or average, while receiver stores may bestores in which the workload is lower than a given threshold or average.Thresholds may be determined based on the current workload distributionand target workload distribution. As illustrated in FIG. 6, thedesignation of a store may be a parameter stored in a central location,such as a table 602 in a server machine 600, and/or a parameter set in anetwork computer such as 610, 620, 630, or 640. The designations may bemanually set or overridden based on an administrator input 603.

Once the stores/resources are designated as senders or receivers, asender network computer may begin taking unprocessed prescription ordersfrom its queue and sending them to a receiver store/resource queue. Thenumber of prescriptions sent or accepted may be based on a workloadlevel and routing rate that is adjusted in order to meet a targetdistribution for a particular period of time. For example, a first storemay have a workload of 8 prescriptions/man-hour, while the targetworkload is set at 6 prescriptions/man-hour. The system may set arouting rate such that the first store sends prescriptions to a set ofreceivers until its workload stabilizes at 6 over a period of time.

Metrics may be taken on a periodic basis such that when a threshold ismet, the designation of a store automatically changes. The shorter theperiod for recalculating workload distribution, the quicker the responsefor a change in store volume or manpower. For example, should the abovementioned store begin to average only 5 prescriptions/man-hour, thestore may be changed from a sender to a receiver. An alternatedesignation may be non-participating, or neutral. This designation maybe placed when the store is performing within a target range at aparticular efficiency or when the store is performing within a targetworkload range. In the above example, if the store is operating at 6prescriptions/man-hour without intervention (or within a lower and upperthreshold around 6 prescriptions/man-hour), it may be designated asnon-participating or neutral. It should be noted that the neutraldesignation may be placed on a store for other reasons, e.g., neutralmay be placed on stores that are non-functioning, or non-participating.

The flowchart of FIG. 8 illustrates a designation process. The processstarts at block 801, where pharmacy workload metrics are acquired. Asmentioned above, this acquisition of metrics may consist of generating aworkload distribution. From these metrics, a target workloaddistribution may be determined. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8,a target workload distribution may result in the determination of a setof threshold values (e.g., maximum and minimum workload values for eachstore). In blocks 802, 803, and 807, the workload from each store isread. If the end of the list 803 is reached, the process ends 807. Block804 checks to see if the current store has a workload between a setupper and lower threshold bound. If the workload is within bounds, block806 designates a store as neutral if it is not already designatedneutral in block 805. Block 808 determines if the store workload isbelow a lower threshold. If so, block 810 designates the store as areceiver, if it is not already designated as a receiver in block 809. Ifthe store workload is greater than an upper threshold, block 812designates the store as receiver, if it is not already designated areceiver in block 811.

When a store switches designations, it may continue processing the workplaced in its queue even if the work is from another pharmacy. However,if the store has been switched from a sender to a receiver or from areceiver to a sender, priority routing may be performed based onownership of the order. For example, in a store that has switched from areceiver to a sender, the store may first send off work that was notoriginated from its store. Also, if a prior sender has become a receiverand a prior receiver has become a sender the current sender may directwork back to the receiver that sent it.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment in which a central server 900 mayimplement a queue 901 that accepts routed work orders from senderqueues. The server acts as a central redistribution repository that willaccept work requests from each receiver. In this way, when workloadchanges induce store designation changes, redistribution is just amatter of changing between work requests from a central location andtransmitting work orders to the central location. In this embodiment,completion of information processing for a particular order may triggerprinting of a label or instruction set at the printer queue of adistribution resource, e.g., a pharmacy location, a mail order facility,etc., for filling and dispensing.

Additional metrics may be used to determine the efficacy of a workloaddistribution. For example, a cost metric may be used to determine if theincrease in the average prescriptions/man-hour rate for the networktranslates into a cost savings. This may be done by factoring in thenumber of prescriptions sent to the receiving stores, the number ofprescriptions completed by the receiving stores, and then calculatingthe financial benefit to a store based on possible missed prescriptions.This report may be called a missed opportunity report.

Workload distribution may be based on a capacity of a network resourceto process product demand. In the case of a pharmacy network system,demand may be based on the number of prescriptions that need to beprocessed in a given amount of time, e.g., a promised delivery time.(Queued prescriptions may be arranged by promised time, andconsequently, demand may be based on the promised times of prescriptionorders in a queue.) Pharmacy resource capacity may be based on the rateat which the resource can process a number of prescriptions. This ratemay be estimated based on historic data for the resource. For example,metrics may be taken to determine the average time necessary for apharmacy resource to process a number of prescription orders. Thecapacity of the resource can then be estimated by calculating the amountof time necessary to process the prescription orders in its queue andcomparing this to a desired time, such as a promised delivery time, forthe prescription orders. If the estimated finish time approaches orexceeds the desired time, then the pharmacy resource may haveinsufficient capacity and be designated as a sender. If the estimatedfinish time is less than the desired time by a threshold, then thepharmacy resource may have excess capacity and may be designated as areceiver. The threshold may be based, for example, on the amount of timeneeded for a resource to process an additional order within the desiredtime for that order. In one embodiment, the promised time of queued workorders for a pharmacy resource may be averaged and the pharmacy resourcemay be designated a receiver or sender based on whether the averagedpromised time is above or below a threshold.

Workload distribution may be further based on product type and resourcetype. In a pharmacy system comprising a network of pharmacy resources,each pharmacy may be outfitted with identical equipment, inventory, andpersonnel for processing standard drug prescription orders. However,there are non-standard or non-traditional drugs that may requiredifferent equipment, special materials, and/or different technicalexpertise to process. Outfitting every facility with similar equipmentand inventory to account for non-traditional drugs could beprohibitively expensive. Providing expert personnel at each storelocation in a network may also be difficult, if not impossible. Also,more often than not, the demand for non-traditional drugs and even aportion of traditional drugs, is not substantial enough to justify anadditional expenditure in equipment, inventory, and human resources foreach store.

A pharmacy system may thus assign or designate certain resources, e.g.,facilities or personnel, to process a portion of a prescription orderbased on drug type. The assignment may be based on a demand for the drugtype and/or a capacity of a resource to process the drug type. In thiscase, the capacity of the resource may be based on the efficiency andcost of using the pharmacy resource, not just its capacity to fill ademand in a given time. A workload distribution system may accordinglyroute prescription orders for specific drug types primarily to thedesignated pharmacy resources having the capacity to process the drugtypes, thereby leveraging pharmacy resource expertise and/or economiesof scale. The designated pharmacy resource may be called a processcenter for the specific drug type.

In one embodiment, assigning a pharmacy resource to process theprescription order may be based on minimizing a difference between thesystem demand for the drug type and the capacity of a set of pharmacyresources. FIG. 10 illustrates this embodiment. Metrics are acquired ina first block 1001. The demand for a drug type is determined 1002 bytaking the total number of prescription orders in the network associatedwith a drug type. The capacity of pharmacy resources assigned to processthe drug type may be considered by first calculating an estimated timefor processing the prescription orders for the drug type 1003. When theestimated time of processing by the assigned resources is less than adesired time by a threshold amount (e.g., a safety margin) no furtherassignments are necessary 1005. When a single pharmacy resource isinsufficient to process the demand in a desired time 1006, more pharmacyresources may be assigned to process the drug type 1007. When demand fora drug type falls, the system may determine that less pharmacy resourcesneed to be allocated to process a drug type and may reduce the number ofdesignated stores 1008 processing that drug type. This may be doneincrementally and may be based on a set of thresholds that aredetermined based on safety margins. Alternatively, in addition tocalculating the estimated time for processing the demand, a capacitymeasure may include calculating a cost efficiency. For example, giventhat a first pharmacy resource and a second pharmacy resource mayprocess the demand in the desired time, the system may determine thatthe first pharmacy resource is cheaper to use than the second resourceand assign the first resource as a process center. The system may thenroute prescriptions primarily to the first resource.

FIG. 11 illustrates a computer system for assigning functions to anetwork of pharmacy resources. A server 1100 may receive demand data1101 and capacity data 1102 from a set of pharmacy client computers1110-1140 associated with pharmacy resources. The demand data andcapacity data may be used to determine assignments/designations 1103 forpharmacy resources. These assignments may be stored in a table 1104 orother data object. A business expert 1105 may provide parameters used tohelp determine the assignments. Table 1104 illustrates that eachpharmacy resource may function in more than one capacity and may havemultiple designations. For example, pharmacy location 2, 3, and 4, asillustrated in table 1104, may function both as retail stores receivingor sending traditional prescription orders as well as a processingcenter for a particular function. (It should be noted that a pharmacyresource may have more than two designations.)

When a pharmacy resource is designated as a process center, thatpharmacy resource may be a primary receiver for prescription ordersassociated with a drug type that the pharmacy resource is assigned toprocess. If there is only one pharmacy resource assigned to process adrug type, for example compound drugs, then all compound drugprescriptions in the network may be routed to that pharmacy resource.However, if demand exceeds the capacity of the single resource, morepharmacy resources may be assigned to handle the workload. This is thecase illustrated in 1104, where two pharmacy resources (locations 3 and4) are designated pet centers.

Determining capacity of the resource may involve determining theexistence of equipment, availability of materials at the facility toprocess the drug type, and availability of the equipment. Availabilityof the equipment may be based on the existing workload of the equipment.Availability of equipment may also be based on a configuration of theequipment. For example, identical equipment may be used to process twodifferent drug types, but a different equipment setup may be required toproduce each drug type. In this case, equipment capacity may take intoaccount a transition time required to configure the equipment to processa prescription order associated with a different drug type. Efficiencyof the pharmacy resource or equipment may also be based on thetransition time.

A pharmacy resource may be an individual pharmacist. Pharmacists forperforming specialty drug processing may be located in a number ofdifferent locations, including retail stores, other specialty stores, orhome locations. A distribution table such as 1200 in FIG. 12, may beaccessed to determine pharmacist assignments 1250, availabilityinformation 1230, and location 1220. Whenever additional pharmacists areneeded to handle increased demand or other workload events, thedistribution table may be accessed to determine which additionalresources may be activated/assigned. The table may be stored on a serverand updated accordingly.

In one embodiment, determining the capacity of a pharmacist may includedetermining the availability of the pharmacist to process a drug type.This may be based on a pharmacist work schedule 1230. Determining thecapacity of the pharmacist may also be based on an expertise level 1240of the pharmacist and a labor cost of the pharmacist. The expertiselevel may be based on a certification of a pharmacist to performprocessing for specialized drugs. This certification may be based onlegal standards. The expertise level may also be determined by apharmacy company. For example, the expertise level may be based on anaccuracy rating of the pharmacist and/or efficiency of the pharmacist,where efficiency may be based on the pharmacist's rate of processing aspecific drug type.

FIG. 13 illustrates a pharmacy network where process functions areassigned to specialized pharmacy resource units. In this network, aretail store A 1301 may be connected to a set of neighbor retail stores1302. The network may also have specialized facilities such as a specialprocessing center (“SPC”) 1303 which may be a separate facility thathouses a set of experts. This set of experts may be more efficient atprocessing specialty drugs. The work orders for specialty drugs may berouted primarily to the SPC, thereby aggregating specialty drugprocessing at a cost efficient resource. Additionally, there may befacilities that contain specialized equipment for less commonmedications such as pet medicine or compound drugs. These resources mayalso be housed in separate facilities, e.g., a pet center 1304 or acompound drug center 1305 and prescriptions orders for pet medicationand compound drugs may be routed to their respective processing centersfor faster processing. Also, consolidation of certain common processfunctions, such as fulfillment and mailing, may also increase the speedat which general prescriptions are processed. Thus, a mail fulfillmentfacility (“MFC”) 1306 having both equipment and personnel focused solelyon fulfillment and mailing may also increase network efficiency.

While FIG. 13 illustrates a single function assignment to a pharmacyresource, e.g., pet, specialty, and compound centers, these facilitiesare not necessarily limited to only one function. For example, an SPCfacility may have the capability to also serve as a retail store. Thiscross-functional capacity allows for assignment of functionality basedon network demand and efficiency. For example, while the equipment toprocess compound drugs may not be provided at each facility, a subset ofretail facilities may hold equipment capable of processing compounddrugs. Because the demand for compound drugs may not justify the cost ofoperating all the equipment at one time, only a subset of stores may beassigned to process compound drugs. Thus, in one embodiment, when demandfor compound drugs is not high, only a few of the resources havingcompound making capabilities may be designated as compound centers andprocess compound prescription orders Meanwhile, the non-assignedfacilities may operate in another capacity. When demand increases, morestores/facilities having compound equipment may be made available anddesignated as compound facilities to process the extra demand, evenwhile the same facility continues to function in other roles.

Workload distribution may also be based on anticipated capacity changesof a pharmacy resource. For example, in emergency situations, (e.g., anatural disaster causing evacuation of pharmacists) work may be manuallyredirected to non-affected locations and stores. In another example,there may be anticipated intermittent staffing and/or availabilitychanges (e.g., equipment maintenance periods, staff vacations, etc.)which may cause the efficiency of a resource to decrease. In thissituation, a target workload distribution may involve placing a smallerworkload on pharmacy resources in which there is an anticipated shortagein capacity. The determination of the target workload distribution mayalso consider the workload backlog at a particular location and adjustthat location up or down accordingly. It should be noted that ananticipated staffing shortage may be accounted for when calculating theworkload for the store and/or when determining an appropriate targetworkload distribution. Furthermore, in addition to anticipating staffingchanges, an embodiment of the claims may proactively adjust staffing inorder to effect workload of a pharmacy to achieve a target workloaddistribution of the network.

1. A method of managing drug prescription orders within a network ofpharmacy resources, comprising: identifying a drug type corresponding toan incoming prescription order at a first computing device of aninformation processing system connecting the network of pharmacyresources, the first computing device being associated with a firstpharmacy resource; determining that a second pharmacy resource in thenetwork of pharmacy resources is assigned as a designated processingcenter for at least a portion of prescription orders for the drug type,wherein determining that the second pharmacy resource is assigned as thedesignated processing center comprises determining that the secondpharmacy resource is assigned as the designated processing center basedon a network demand for the drug type and a local capacity of the secondpharmacy resource to process the at least a portion of prescriptionorders for the drug type; and sending, by the first computing device viathe information processing system to a second computing deviceassociated with the second pharmacy resource, at least a portion of theincoming prescription order to the second pharmacy resource forprocessing, wherein processing each prescription order includesperforming physical preparation of each prescription order andperforming information processing of each prescription order, andwherein performing information processing of each prescription orderincludes authenticating each prescription order, validating any thirdparty provider information, collecting payment information, andreferencing drug information associated with the drug type.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein determining that the second pharmacy resourceis assigned as the designated processing center comprises obtaining anindication from a third computing device via the information processingsystem.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the indication obtained fromthe third computing device is based on a local capacity of one or moreparticular pharmacy resources in the network of pharmacy resources toprocess the at least a portion of prescription orders for the drug type.4. The method of claim 1, further comprising indicating, by the firstcomputing device to another computing device via the informationprocessing system, at least one of: a local capacity of the firstpharmacy resource to process the at least a portion or another portionof prescription orders for the drug type, or a tally of prescriptionorders associated with the drug type at the first pharmacy resource. 5.The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a deliverypharmacy resource in the network of pharmacy resources corresponding toa desired delivery location of the incoming prescription order, andindicating the delivery pharmacy resource to the second computingdevice.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing at leasta part of any remaining portion of the incoming prescription order atthe first computing device associated with the first pharmacy resource.7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that a thirdpharmacy resource in the network of pharmacy resources is a differentdesignated processing center for at least a different portion ofprescription orders for the drug type; and sending, by the firstcomputing device via the information processing system to a thirdcomputing device associated with the third pharmacy resource, at least adifferent portion of the incoming prescription order to the thirdpharmacy resource for processing.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein: thesecond pharmacy resource in the network of pharmacy resources includes afacility, and determining that the second pharmacy resource is assignedas the designated processing center for the at least a portion ofprescription orders for the drug type is based on at least one of: anexistence of equipment at the facility to process the drug type, anavailability of the equipment at the facility to process the drug type,or an availability of materials at the facility to process the drugtype.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein: the second pharmacy resource inthe network of pharmacy resources is associated with a pharmacy employeecapable of processing the at least a portion of prescription orders forthe drug type, and determining that the second pharmacy resource isassigned as the designated processing center for the at least a portionof prescription orders for the drug type is based on at least one of: anavailability of the pharmacy employee, an efficiency of the pharmacyemployee, or a labor cost associated with the pharmacy employee.
 10. Themethod of claim 1, wherein determining that the second pharmacy resourceis assigned as the designated processing center is based on anavailability of the drug type at the second pharmacy resource.
 11. Asystem for managing drug prescription orders within a network of aplurality of pharmacy resources, the system comprising: a set ofcomputers coupled to an information processing system connecting thenetwork of the plurality of pharmacy resources, wherein each of at leasta subset of the set of computers is associated with at least one of theplurality of pharmacy resources and is programmed with instructions for:identifying a drug type corresponding to an incoming prescription order;determining that a first pharmacy resource of the plurality of pharmacyresources is assigned as a designated processing center for at least aportion of prescription orders for the drug type, wherein the firstpharmacy resource of the plurality of pharmacy resources is assigned asthe designated processing center for the at least a portion ofprescription orders for the drug type based on at least one of: anavailability of the drug type of the first pharmacy resource, or a localcapacity of the first pharmacy resource for processing the at least aportion of prescription orders for the drug type; and sending, via theinformation processing system to a first computer associated with thefirst pharmacy resource, at least a portion of the incoming prescriptionorder to the first pharmacy resource for processing, wherein processingeach prescription order includes performing physical preparation of eachprescription order and performing information processing of eachprescription order, and wherein performing information processing ofeach prescription order includes authenticating each prescription order,validating any third party provider information, collecting paymentinformation, and referencing drug information associated with the drugtype.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the at least thesubset of the set of computers is programmed with further instructionsfor: obtaining an indication, from a second computer via the informationprocessing system, that the first pharmacy resource in the network ofthe plurality of pharmacy resources is assigned as the designatedprocessing center for the at least a portion of prescription orders forthe drug type; and indicating, to the second computer, at least one of:a local capacity of a pharmacy resource corresponding to each of the atleast the subset of the set of computers for processing the at least aportion or another portion of prescription orders for the drug type, ora tally of prescription orders associated with the drug type at thepharmacy resource corresponding to each of the at least the subset ofthe set of computers.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the atleast the subset of the set of computers is programmed with furtherinstructions for: determining a delivery pharmacy resource in thenetwork corresponding to a desired delivery location of the incomingprescription order, and indicating the delivery pharmacy resource to thefirst computer.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the at leastthe subset of the set of computers is programmed with furtherinstructions for at least one of: processing at least a first part ofany remaining portion of the incoming prescription order, or determiningthat a second pharmacy resource in the network of the plurality ofpharmacy resources is a designated processing center for at least asecond portion of prescription orders, and sending, via the informationprocessing system to a third computer associated with the secondpharmacy resource, at least a second portion of the incomingprescription order to the second pharmacy resource for processing.
 15. Amethod of distributing pharmacy prescription processing workload in anetwork of a plurality of pharmacy resources, comprising: associatingeach of the plurality of pharmacy resources with a different computer ofa plurality of computers; communicatively coupling the plurality ofcomputers via an information processing system; determining a networkcapacity of the plurality of pharmacy resources for a drug type based onat least one of: a local capacity of each of the plurality of pharmacyresources for processing prescription orders for the drug type, or alocal tally of prescription orders for the drug type at each of theplurality of pharmacy resources; determining a network demand for thedrug type, wherein the network demand for the drug type is based on atotal number of prescription orders for the drug type to be filled inthe network of the plurality of pharmacy resources; assigning each of asubset of the plurality of pharmacy resources as a designated processingcenter for processing at least a portion of prescription orders for thedrug type, the assigning based on the network demand and a part of thelocal capacities of the plurality of pharmacy resources for processingprescription orders for the drug type, wherein the part of the localcapacities corresponds to processing the at least a portion ofprescription orders for the drug type; and indicating, to at least oneof the plurality of computers associated with a particular pharmacyresource, at least one of the subset of the plurality of pharmacyresources that are assigned as designated processing centers, wherein:each of the designated processing centers is enabled to process the atleast a portion of prescription orders for the drug type, processingentire prescription orders for the drug type includes performingphysical preparation and performing information processing, and at leastone of the plurality of pharmacy resources is enabled to independentlyprocess a particular entire prescription order, and performinginformation processing for the particular prescription order for thedrug type includes authenticating the particular prescription order,validating third party provider information, collecting paymentinformation, and referencing drug information corresponding to the drugtype.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: receiving incomingprescription orders at a first computer associated with a first pharmacyresource in the network, identifying, at the first computer, aparticular incoming prescription order associated with the drug type,and routing, by the first computer via the information processingsystem, at least a portion of the particular incoming prescription orderto a first designated processing center corresponding to the drug type.17. The method of claim 16, further comprising indicating, by the firstcomputer to another computer via the information processing system, atleast one of the local capacity of the first pharmacy resource forprocessing prescription orders for the drug type or a tally ofprescription orders associated with the drug type at the first pharmacyresource.
 18. The method of claim 15, further comprising at least oneof: designating a larger subset of the plurality of pharmacy resourcesif a current network demand for the drug type exceeds a current capacityof a current subset of the plurality of pharmacy resources forprocessing prescription orders for the drug type, or designating asmaller subset of the plurality of pharmacy resources if the currentcapacity of the current subset of the plurality of pharmacy resourcesfor processing prescription orders for the drug type exceeds the currentnetwork demand for the drug type by a threshold.
 19. The method of claim15, wherein at least one of: each of the plurality of pharmacy resourcesincludes a pharmacy employee, and wherein determining the local capacityof each of the plurality of pharmacy resources for processingprescription orders for the drug type comprises estimating a rate ofprocessing the drug type by the pharmacy employee; or each of theplurality of pharmacy resources includes a facility, and whereindetermining the local capacity of each of the plurality of pharmacyresources for processing prescription orders for the drug type is basedon at least one of an availability of equipment corresponding toprocessing the drug type at the facility or an availability of materialscorresponding to the drug type at the facility.